


Who run the world?

by XtaticPearl



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Feels, Awesome Carol Danvers, Awesome Darcy Lewis, BAMF Laura Barton, BAMF Natasha Romanov, BAMF Ororo Munroe, BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Women, Bucky Barnes Returns, Civil War Fix-It, Darcy Lewis's Taser, Gen, Peggy Carter Kicks Ass, Peggy Carter Lives, Protective Jane Foster, Sharon Carter Is Done With This Shit, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-26 05:46:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6226312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XtaticPearl/pseuds/XtaticPearl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Pepper and Peggy rallied their own force and shut down the Civil War because Pepper's flight to a business meeting wouldn't take off until flying heroes stopped hogging the skies and Peggy couldn't sleep with all the drama going around her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You know you want to read this. 
> 
> I was so tired of all these idiots being dramatic shits and taking things too far and I relate to Pepper and Peggy and their 'gang' (in my mind they have fierce headgears, killer heels that hide knives, wear garters with holsters and swashbuckle into meetings) on a spiritual level. So this happened. Enjoy! :D <3

"It's cancelled. Again."  
Happy snapped his mouth shut and gulped because he could see his girlfriend and boss turn an interesting shade of red that matched her hair beautifully. This was the fourth time she had to postpone her visit to the Japanese plant of SI this month and she was losing her cool like a waterfall.

"Maybe we should wait till all this is over, honey?" he tried with a weak smile and a shrug, dropping the smile when she narrowed her eyes, "C'mon Pepper, you and I both know that there's a war brewing out there and taking a risk at this time will only lead to added liabilities. It's only for the best if we wait till it's all over."

"Yes, because I should be the one putting aside all my productive commitments because a bunch of unstable superheroes decided to play violent hide and seek," Pepper shot back with a tight smile, "Remind me again Happy, what exactly is this war for? Human rights? World peace? Oil and other resources? I don't think so. It's a group of crazy men in capes and armors running around shooting things and blowing up property because they can't use their brains and words. This is kindergarten for adults. And  _I_ am the one who has to suffer for this?"

"And women," Happy muttered before clearing his throat when Pepper raised an eyebrow, "You said crazy men. It's crazy men and women. I'm pretty sure the Maximoff kid and Natasha are involved too."

"Thank you, Happy. That solves everything," Pepper sassed back before sighing at her boyfriend's huff of a smile, "This is utter bullshit. I've tried knocking sense into Tony but nothing is working as long as he's hung up on his stupid backlog of issues and completely complicated friendship with Steve. Speaking of whom, that man is so bull-headed that I almost have the urge to ask him to replace you as our head of security."

Happy raised his eyebrows at that and stared horrified to which she simply waved a hand and tutted.

"Oh, don't be dramatic," she huffed with a small smile, leaning back into her chair, "I just implied that he is as unmovable as a wall. Wouldn't budge an inch even if you used a bulldozer."

"I'm sure he'll take that as a compliment," Happy replied with a grin, moving to pick up his coat before getting up, "I'm gonna go check on some work at the HR, okay? See you for lunch."

Pepper accepted the kiss with a small smile and sank back into her chair, watching as he walked out of her office, back to being the head of security. She sighed as she checked her schedule and tried to find another date to push the meeting. She hated putting off work. It messed with her careful organization and allotment of time to every part of her life. Pepper Potts lived her life through a calendar and she wasn't ashamed or insecure about it. It was just her way of giving her best to all aspects of herself. She was a CEO, a philanthropist, a girlfriend, a guide, a friend, a daughter and a countless other roles. Every role was important and Pepper never made excuses for neglecting one of them. Time was precious and limited but she always made things happen because her interests were invested in every facet of her life.

This war was ruining it all. She was on a strained rope with Tony, her dad was constantly worried for her, she was running behind on work because of security concerns, Happy was in high stress trying to strengthen SI's security against any break-in by Tony's opponents and her own stress levels were off the charts. Nobody was winning this war, she knew that for certain. It wasn't winnable because there was no right or wrong side to it. Pepper had handled and been through endless crises situations and dubious policy changes to know that laws and regulations were delicate matters that needed to be handled through words and proper data. Not guns and shields. The timeline on the Accords was atrocious too, she thought bitterly, with no step-wise schedule to progress in discussions and an unnecessary haste in trying to either get it through or discard it. 

It was a clash of fools and an invitation to the real evilmongers to take advantage of the chaos. 

"I wish there was a way of putting them all in time-out," she muttered to herself, clicking through her mails and checking her calendar for the day. They were split into teams. Divided. Pepper wished the idiots had learnt their primary school proverbs well because they didn't seem to understand a simple fact - United You Stand, Divided You Fall. If this war could be stopped, they would need a new team of people who were sensible and fierce enough to shut both these teams.

Pepper paused mid-way through a mail and frowned at the thought.

"A new team," she mused slowly, staring at her screen and letting her brain work, "A new team of people who used their brains instead of their brawn. People who both these sides would listen to."

She hated violence. Always had and always will. But she wasn't opposed to a little arm-twisting using words and smartness. Her eyes fell on her phone and she picked it up with a small plan growing in her mind. Her contact list opened and as she browsed through it, the plan grew stronger and more confident.

By the time she had shortlisted people from her contact list, Pepper was grinning calmly. If superheroes were going to mess with her work, she was going to reply. There would be no more procrastination of work, she decided as she hit the first call, her eyes gleaming with determination.

\---------------------------

Peggy Carter couldn't sleep. The nurses were annoying at their best and utterly gossip-trash at their worst. She didn't even need to have a good memory to remember what they were talking about all the time. It was as though they had nothing better to talk about or no better work to do. It was always gossip for them. Always gossip about the heroes.

Iron Man and Captain America. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.

"Is it troubling you again, Auntie?" Sharon asked as Peggy grumbled under her breath and shifted on the bed for the hundredth time, "Should I go talk to them?"

Peggy huffed at her niece and rolled her eyes at the door.

"Sure darling, that will do a lot of good to cease the incessant jabber," she groused eliciting a smile from the younger girl, "It isn't the talking as much as the content that is bothering me. Do they have nothing better to entertain themselves with?"

Sharon ducked her head for a minute before smiling and smoothing a curl off Peggy's forehead.

"It  **is** a war, isn't it? A major one at that," she replied with a bitter sigh, "If this was between two countries then we would have had less enthusiasm or interest I think. This is a war of heroes though and that...that is disturbing even as a thought. I suppose the issue would drag on for a considerably longer time."

"Oh nonsense!" Peggy snapped mildly, "This isn't a war. This is a fight between whining toddlers or better yet teenage angst. There is no purpose that would be resolved by this and the only end would be defeat of good. Why you ever decided to get involved in it is beyond me!"

"Steve is involved," Sharon countered with a shrug, "The Accords will simply ruin the freedom of any superhero and Steve is right in opposing it. Tony is involved too and I don't really understand how either of them can be stopped now. It was either join in and try to save people or stay out and watch the destruction, wasn't it?"

"That is the most defeatist sentence I've heard from you, darling," Peggy chided her only living family lightly before huffing irritably, "Neither Steve nor Tony see beyond their line of vision. It is the same error that men have made through centuries and there is nothing special about these too. It is too easy to fire a bullet, Sharon, but it is not that easy to cease the wound it causes. Arrogance of men will only ruin the world and make it without order. These Accords you talk about, are they simply black and white in their message? Are there no other sides to them? No possible refinements or compromises that would make them a more suitable order for all? I might be failing my memory darling, but even I know that this is simply you kids taking the easy way out. Steve Rogers is emotionally compromised and so is Tony. Is everyone that blind that you don't see it?"

"Well, it is easy to say that here, isn't it?" Sharon snapped before wincing and sighing as she rubbed her forehead tiredly, "I'm sorry, Aunt Peggy. That wasn't fair of me. This whole issue is just...it is just so complicated and convoluted that I don't know where we are heading at all. All I can see is destruction and a dead-end, but I don't want my team and friends to go unprotected either. I just wish there were a way to end this madness and stop running."

"There is always a way if you try, dear," Peggy said soothingly before her eyes glazed over and she smiled blankly, "Sharon! Darling, how nice to see you! When did you come?"

Sharon bit back her painful breath and smiled back, playing on with Peggy's reset memory. She agreed with her aunt, of course she did. None of this was making sense anymore. The Accords had almost become forgotten and the war had taken a whole new personal level. It had been reduced to a fight of egos and a battle to survive. She could see Steve grow paranoid as days passed and knew that Tony was no better. She had known Tony since childhood, having visited the Stark mansion with Peggy a considerable number of times. They weren't the best of friends and he always had a way of getting on her nerves but she knew that he wasn't a bad person by any chance. She knew him enough to understand that he was misguided and stubborn at worst, but so was Steve when it came to certain issues. There was a void that kept widening between both sides and Sharon wished that there was some way this entire thing could be resolved without punching through the walls.

When her phone rand, Sharon saw Peggy startle too and looked at her screen to see a number she didn't get called from often.

"Potts?" she read with a frown and looked at Peggy who was simply staring at her curiously, before picking up the call, "Hello? Hello, Pepper. Is everything alright?"

"Hi, Sharon," Pepper's voice streamed through kindly, "No, nothing is wrong. Hey, are you with Ms. Carter right now? Peggy?"

"Erm...yes, wait are you stalking me?" Sharon asked with a deeper frown, eyes calmly checking for any cameras in the room.

"I'm not Tony, Sharon," Pepper teased and that made the Agent relax a bit, "No, I just had a guess that you might be there. Just got lucky, that's all. Listen, I need to talk to both of you. Could you put me on speaker?"

"Pepper, auntie isn't exactly up to -" Sharon said hesitatingly, noting Peggy's frown.

"No, don't worry. Her issue isn't a problem," Pepper cut off with a reassurance, "I'll just explain things again if she wishes. But this is important and I need you both to help me out. It's regarding a way to stop the war, Sharon."

Sharon froze ignoring the way Peggy's eyebrows scrunched in worry. She knew Pepper Potts professionally and had surmised in their first interaction that the woman didn't waste time with nonsense. She also knew that she was the most powerful woman in the business circuit right now. 

"Pepper, I'm putting you on speaker now," she said cautiously, gesturing to Peggy with a nod to indicate that it was fine.

"Ms. Carter, this is Pepper Potts," Pepper spoke confidently, as Sharon took a paper and scribbled her relation to show Peggy, "I'm the CEO of Stark Industries, a best friend of Tony Stark and a strong opponent of this war brewing between superheroes. I've heard and watched your achievements and strength through the years and I have a proposal to make to you. To stop this war and resolve the conflict."

Peggy read the scribbled notes Sharon was showing over the phone, getting a gist of what Pepper was talking about. She was shocked about the bit Sharon had written about Steve and Bucky and Tony but her years of being a soldier had strengthened her gut enough to accept the strangest things and work towards a goal.

She set her jaw in the determined way Sharon had seen her do during her childhood and stared at the phone.

"Ms. Potts, if you have an idea and confidence, then I'm in," she said curtly, daring Sharon to negate her, "If there is any chance of stopping this travesty Sharon is telling me about, then we'll do our goddamned best. What is your proposal?"

Sharon hadn't ever thought that she would find the fierce Peggy Carter come back to life again but as she heard and watched Pepper and Peggy discuss a plan, she felt her own determination grow.

"I'm coming in too," she said in the end, meeting Peggy's raised eyebrow with her own steely stare, "You'll need someone to help you keep your information in check, Auntie. Your strength and confidence will work but your memory won't. I can help with that. You know I can."

"Then you're in too," Pepper confirmed with a smile in her voice, "Alright then, Ms. Carter, this is our only shot at getting things right and we'll need as much back-up as possible. I'm gathering them as we speak but I need you to contact one person. You're the only person who can bring him out from where he is and he won't be able to contradict you. You two have a history."

"I might not be able to remember them though, Ms. Potts," Peggy informed bitterly but Pepper simply brushed it off with a delicate huff.

"Trust me, Ms.Carter, he wouldn't have forgotten you," Pepper replied, "After all, you were the one who made him an Agent. You'd just need to be yourself and order him to come, ma'am."

Peggy laughed at that and Sharon smiled too.

"You're a fiery one, Ms.Potts. That's good," Peggy said approvingly, "You get your side of the work done. We'll take care of the rest here."

"Good luck, Pepper," Sharon said as she switched the call off the speaker, "Let's hope this works out."

"Oh, it will, Sharon," Pepper swore lightly, "It's time we settled this fight once and for all."

As Sharon cut the call and got some details in a message from Pepper, she looked up and saw Peggy going through the notes she had made throughout the phone call, refreshing her memory and growing confident in her demeanor. Peggy Carter might be down, she realized with pride, but she wasn't out yet.

Not till a mission existed for her to complete.

\----------------------------------------------

Natasha was patching up her grazed shoulder when she got the call. She frowned at the name flashing on the caller id. She never got calls from Maria's personal number, not unless there was an emergency.

"Who's in trouble?" she asked as soon as she picked up the call, her eyes on alert and her body ready to run.

Maria Hill didn't blink an eye before answering as she continued to type in a message into her other phone.

"You are," she said sharply before continuing, "You and all the morons you're fighting with."

"Hill," Natasha sighed tiredly as she continued stitching up the small tear on her shoulder, "This is not the time to play your mind riddles. I'm in the middle of a war."

"A war that is stupid and absolutely unnecessary, as you yourself said a couple of days back," Maria shot back as she sent the message to the other number, "Natasha, what are you doing? This isn't you. You don't get involved in ego-fights or piss-fights of crazy guys. You're smarter than that."

"This isn't about them, this is about the Accords," Natasha grit out as the last sew was set in place, finally leaning back and relaxing, "I'm not enabling anybody's ego or power. I'm siding with a logical solution to a bigger problem. You know what the Accords represent, Maria. You agree with it too. I'm just fighting to make sure it sees the light of the day."

"Is everybody else fighting for that as well though?" Maria countered, reading a reply to the message she had sent, "Nat, you  _know_ that neither side is fighting this for what it began with. Tony is being an ass and Steve is en route to assdom too. This has turned too ugly and big for a fight regarding regulation. This is the opposite of what we wanted. You know that."

"Sometimes you have to hit back when you get hit, Maria," the Russian replied quietly, remembering the crazed look on Bucky when he had almost taken out most of their team, "It's too late to turn back now."

"It's never too late, Agent Romanoff," a new voice came through and Natasha sat up straighter with a frown.

"Coulson?" she whispered into the phone before clenching it tighter, "What the hell is going on? Phil, what are you doing with Maria? What is this?"

"This is an intervention, if you may," Phil continued, speaking into the phone Maria had put on speaker, "and we are trying to help you see that it isn't too late."

"Coulson..." Natasha sighed tiredly, the stress of all the fighting catching up to her.

"Listen to me Natasha," Maria cut in firmly, "I agree with the Accords. I think that superheroes need to be checked. They're too absorbed in their own issues to follow self-regulation at all times. New York, DC, Sokovia, Wakanda, Genova. All these places suffered huge losses because of people with uncontrolled power. The Accords have the right base and it will help in winning back the trust of the public. But this war? This is the opposite of what the Accords say. A war, Nat? A superhero war? How does this make sense to anyone? How is this any different from Sokovia or DC? Nobody is going to emerge victor here and we're going to end up with more problems in the aftermath than all our previous battles put together."

"What do you suggest then, Hill?" Natasha countered sharply, "You think I've not tried to make both sides see sense? I know this is pointless. I know that we're only ruining things. I understand that. But just me understanding things isn't going to change anything. I've spoken to Tony and Steve countless times, trying to make those thickheads see what they're doing but it all ends in a battle plan alone. I can't sit this one out, Hill. I'm fighting for the Accords. Not for Tony or Steve or Bucky."

"Then you shouldn't be using weapons, Romanoff," Phil stated calmly, "Because this is an issue of brain, not brawn. You want the Accords? Fight for it in a debate. Don't go guns blazing. That's what Pepper says, at least. I'm not sure if I would use the words 'guns blazing'."

Natasha stilled and spoke cautiously.

"Pepper?" she asked quietly, "What does Pepper have to do with this?"

"She has everything to do with this," Maria spoke up with an evil glee in her voice, "Because she is the one who came up with this idea."

"What idea?" Natasha asked with trepidation.

"An idea to stop the war without casualities," Phil breezed softly, "Well, not heavy casualities at least."

"And we need your help to put this into action," Maria chimed in.

Natasha was extremely careful of whom she chose to be friends with. Friendship was a risk in her field of work and for a person who either trusted implicitly or didn't at all, Natasha had to be extra cautious. She had a flash of Clint's face appear in her mind as she thought about how her choices were falling apart. But that didn't mean that she stopped trusting altogether. Pepper Potts had become her friend a long time back, when she had gone undercover to evaluate Tony Stark. Sure, they had a fall out when Pepper had found out about her deception but Natasha was impressed when the fiercely strong woman had decided to continue being friends after resolving the conflict. 

Natasha trusted Pepper's judgement and decisions more than she did of her team. After the amicable break up with Tony, she respected her even more.

If Pepper had taken an initiative to meddle in the affairs of superheroes, she must either be extremely pissed or extremely confident. Either way, it was a hope, a tiny light at the end of the tunnel. It also seemed that Phil and Maria were in cohorts with her.

It was a chance at doing what Natasha had been trying to do ever since this mess had begun.

"What's the mission?" she asked calmly, slipping into battle mode easily. As Phil and Maria alternated explaining the whole thing, she felt a smirk bloom on her face. 

"I'm in," she said as soon as they finished explaining, "The job will be done on my end."

"Then good luck, Agent," Phil answered as always, "We'll meet you on the other side."

As Natasha cut off the call, she let out a breath of relief and let her smirk widen. She had long been cleaning up the boys' messes and picking up after them. This time she was on the side of the angels, and the strongest ones she knew.

This time the boys would have to pick up after themselves.

She hit a number on her speed dial and got into her role, ready to start off her plan.

"Hello, Steve."

\---------------------------------

Ororo was already out to leave when she saw the figure fly in and land in front of her. She eyed the woman in the costume with an amused smile on her face.

"Ms. Danvers?" she asked with a smile, moving forward to offer a hand to shake, "You're just on time. I'm Ororo Munroe. You might have heard of me as Storm."

"And you might have heard of me as Captain Marvel," Carol grinned, shaking the offered hand, "Though I prefer Carol."

"Then call me Ororo, please," the white haired woman replied with a polite nod, "I see you're ready to go into a battle. Impressive uniform, if I might say."

"Thanks. Though I'm pretty sure yours fits in better undercover," Carol quipped with a laugh, walking along with Ororo towards the open area, "And I'm sure we're going to stop a battle than get into one of our own."

"Ah, but isn't that the trick, Carol," Ororo chuckled softly, "To stop a battle of madness, you have to battle it out. Albeit, ours is a more non-violent approach I agree."

"Wouldn't need to battle anything if they'd been more on the reasonable side," Carol shook her head with a sigh, "Men. Always throw punches first and words later. I expected better out of Rhodey, I'll tell you that. Thought he was more mature than to participate and enable this testosterone see-saw."

"I expected better out of T'Challa too, but I understand his anguish," Ororo nodded with a small faraway look before continuing, "They suffer pain for the past and fear the future. They wish to protect their own and hope for a better future, but do not understand that you cannot change or save the future by ruining the present. We are all a brethren, a family of sorts, are we not? That is what the Professor taught us all these years. To fight your own in an attempt to prevent destruction will only lead to a harder fall."

"Yeah, that's true," Carol agreed before chuckling, "Who would have thought that pissing Pepper Potts would be their biggest mistake?"

"Well, they do have the tendency to 'piss off' most of the women in their lives," Ororo nodded primly as Carol shared a knowing look with her, "Moreover, as much as I have heard from Mr. Fury about her, I can only imagine her to be a formidable woman and the wrong one to infuriate."

Carol nodded as she got into the small jet that they were going to travel in, picking up a few more people on their way.

She had been jolted when she had got the call from Melinda May. They had become friends through Bobbi Moore, a college mate of Carol. When Melinda had told her about the plan to stop the brewing war, Carol had agreed readily. She was never in favor of unwarranted or unmitigated violence. She knew from experience of being a fighter pilot that a power battle only resulted in chaos and loss. Her father had been involved during the Vietnam war. She had seen his condition after it, the terrible PTSD and emotional instability it had brought. War never solved problems, according to Carol. It was always a problem on its own. Knowing that James Rhodes, the man she had been planning to ask out, was involved in this new madness had only managed to make her more annoyed. Rhodey and her were friends for a long time now and she wanted to kick his ass for getting involved in this disastrous shit-storm. She knew that he wouldn't leave Tony alone and so, the genius was going to get his ass kicked too. She thought about the other members of this new 'team' they were gathering and felt her hopes rise.

"I still can't believe she included the famous Peggy Carter in this," Carol mused excitedly, grinning when Ororo raised an eyebrow as they started the jet, "The woman has been in a nursing home for some time now and has a fickle memory along with countless other issues. Still, she's coming. She was THE badass of the past. The stories I've heard and read about her work and adventures, God, I think I'm going to have a moment when I meet her! She could make the strongest guys cry in the Army and was better than any son of a gun. I joined the Air Force because of her! At a time when people didn't consider women all that important in the line of defense, she managed to make a killer name for herself. She could whip anybody's ass with her will-power and determination. I almost feel sorry for the lads now. They're gonna get creamed with all the people we're gathering."

"It will only do them well," Ororo replied with a smirk as she got the jet into stealth mode and sped up, "Kids do need to be put in 'time-out' when they exceed a limit, do they not?"

Carol chuckled at that and eyed the pilot with an approving gaze.

"Ororo, it really is a pleasure to meet you," she said with a small salute, getting a huffed chuckle in response. 

"Who's next on our list then?" the mutant asked as she checked her coordinates.

"Dr. Foster and her assistant, Darcy," Carol said from memory, leaning back in her seat and enjoying the view outside, "There's an interesting story there, you know? These are women who tasered and hit a God with a car."

"It's always good to find formidable new friends, I believe," Ororo declared as she set the location on the control and trained her eyes ahead.

When she had got the call from Nick Fury, she had been suspicious. But when he had given her a gist of what was happening and told her of T'Challa's involvement, she had been annoyed. She loved T'Challa, she truly did. But his instincts to pick battles and be rigid made her want to invoke thunderstorms frequently. She had long learnt that wars never solved problems. Her own involvement with the Apocalypse had been the worst lesson of her life. It had been nothing but one destruction after another. She had been young, wild and thirsty to use her powers for a great purpose. This need to be recognized and make a change had wrecked havoc onto the world. She still remembered being a Horseman for the power-maniac. If Charles Xavier hadn't intervened and changed her mind, she would have ended up becoming as bitter and alone as Erik. Thinking about Magneto brought her nothing but pain. His crazed need to win a war before it began had resulted in the loss of so many people.

As she steered the jet towards her destined location, Ororo swore to stop the Black Panther and his teams from following a similar path of madness.

\---------------------------

Tony sighed for the millionth time of the week as he cut the call and stared at the wall ahead of him. His patience was wearing thin and irritation was building up faster with every passing minute. He had tried everything. Every single thing in his power, to try and make Steve fucking Rogers see that the Accords were the way to go. Things were falling apart everywhere. Governments were losing their cool, the public was at the end of their trust, more superhero ducklings were being created or recognized by the moving days and there was no guarantee of regulation for the existing or new superheroes.

It was a nightmare.

At first he understood Steve's apprehensions. The guy had just been rattled by the falling of a corrupt SHIELD and the re-appearance of his long lost buddy from kingdom come. He was stressed, he was defensive. It was understandable. But this was getting out of control. The pressure from higher authorities was only increasing and Cap was just getting more stubborn by the days. His obsession for Barnes and blatant rejection of the Accord was putting everyone on the edge. Tony had known that it would be difficult to convince him but this was plain obstinance. Steve hadn't budged an inch and wasn't even willing to consider the idea of the Accords. 

"Friday, make sure that Spidey gets his costume on time," he told his AI tiredly before scratching lightly at the still tender wound around his right eye. This was the welcome present he got from Steve's best friend yesterday when the guy had lost control and almost taken out the entire building. He had pummeled Steve himself too, so Tony was only more pissed at the Captain for still denying that Barnes was a danger. If Tony hadn't kept his new hand gauntlet at ready, he would have been dead today. 

He really didn't like being threatened of his life anymore.

As he gazed at the empty room, he had the urge to break something or throw darts at Captain America's photo. The man was behaving so shiftily that Tony had no grip on what to do anymore. He didn't want to fight. He hadn't planned on it or been willing for it. These were his friends, his teammates. Steve and him had gotten past their awkward hostility after Sokovia and had become good friends. Barton had become a close friend too after the whole meet and greet of his family. Sam Wilson was a good guy, someone Tony knew even Rhodey liked at first meeting. Wanda was still skittish about her position and still a crazy kid with too much power, but she had gone through a horrible phase in Sokovia. She was still fumbling and needed support. These were his team. Tony wanted to protect them, not fight them. If only they would open their eyes and see what he was seeing. The lack of regulation, the aftermaths of all the battles they had been in, the risk they posed if even a modicum of their strength got out of hand. Banner had been right when they had all first met. They were a ticking time-bomb.

The Accords would solve that. It would keep a check on them. It would help them be better and ease the public's fear of heroes. It would be a proper channeling and regulation of their powers.

It wasn't tyranny, as Steve considered it to be. It was accountability. A line of difference between them and the bad guys.

And then there was the question of the Winter Soldier. Bucky Barnes. Steve's best friend. A puppet of Hydra until a couple of months back. 

Tony didn't trust him. It was as simple as that. He could empathize with him, could understand that it had all been forced on him and could even stand by the decision to get him therapy. But he didn't trust him. He didn't believe that the guy was completely Bucky Barnes and not the Winter Soldier anymore. Not today. Not yet.

Which was why when the government of the US and kingdom of Wakanda demanded his trial for the UN bombing, Tony couldn't defend Bucky. He couldn't tell them confidently that it hadn't been him. He couldn't vouch for his clearance or sanity. He couldn't assure them that he wasn't a danger anymore.

Because Tony didn't believe that himself. Not completely, like Steve did.

Yesterday had simply cemented that doubt further when he had faced a gun from a clearly out of control Barnes. Steve couldn't restrain him. Tony couldn't restrain him. He was a weapon on his own, Tony had realized. He didn't know how Steve expected him to support him on hiding this weapon from the government. After Ultron, Tony didn't trust any weapon that could not be controlled. He didn't trust anybody who could go on a cold-blooded rampage any minute at the slightest trigger. 

Maybe he was paranoid. But after Sokovia, he couldn't really let go of his paranoia. 

Steve had been disappointed by Tony's decision, he had said. Tony was disappointed by Steve's decision as well.

It was a mess of expectations gone down the drain, he thought bitterly.

\--------------------

Steve struggled to keep his composure as he faced the line of people he had once fought with instead of against. These were his friends, he remembered hysterically. This had been his family. Natasha, Vision, Rhodey, Tony.

Natasha, he thought with a rush of bitter pain. His friend. His support through the worst time of his life in the past. His companion of understanding. She was standing on the other side, eyes fixed on Bucky. She was going to fight his best friend. He was going to watch two of his closest friends fight each other. All for nothing. All for the arrogance of a third party - the government.

There was Rhodey, the Colonel he always respected. The guy who had become an Avenger after Sokovia. The man who had reminded Steve of his own Howling Commandos. Rhodey, his friend, standing opposite Sam. Another friend against friend.

Vision. The android who had fast become the voice of reason for the New Avengers. The mind of knowledge and philosophy. The strength of meta-humans. The friend who had become Wanda's quiet partner in solace. He could see the same Vision stare stoically at Wanda, ready to fight her for the Accords. For a bunch of regulations that would bind them and make them puppets in the hands of politicians.

And then there was Tony. The mere thought of Tony was enough to make him take a deep breath to try and stabilize his emotions. This was the man he had misjudged at first sight. This was the man who had fought him tooth and nail even before they could complete their first mission. This was the man who had taken a nuke into a space portal. This was the genius who had cracked the toughest traps of evil villains for the Avengers. This was the wounded son of Howard who held every bit of charm and intelligence of his father but his own brand of kindness too. This was the misguided protector who had created a monster bot with the intentions of securing the world for the time of their absence. This was the mastermind who had helped create a counter-android, Vision, to save the world from Ultron. 

This was Tony Stark. His friend. The man who, a few weeks back, would have been protecting Steve's back and then casually suggesting that they have a movie night at the Tower for all the Avengers. This was the Tony who had given all his resources to help rebuild the Avengers. This was the Tony Steve had admitted to miss when he had dropped out of the team. This was his Tony. His teammate and close friend.

This was the Tony Stark who had taken the decision to abandon his team and side with the government who would clearly try to enslave them and execute Bucky. This was Tony Stark, his rival.

If it hadn't been for Bucky, Steve would never have even thought of hurting Tony. If it hadn't been for their freedom, he would never have been standing opposite Iron Man, ready to fight him.

This was the worst day of Steve's life. Yet, he was standing here, in a parking lot, waiting to throw punches at people he considered family.

"Cap," he heard Sam say quietly from behind, "What now?"

He took a deep breath, remembering all the heated arguments, all the wasted opportunities to avoid this day. Steeling himself against the worst, he clenched his shield tighter and spoke firmly.

"Now, we fight."

The run to meet the opposite team mid-way was like a countdown for Steve. And then the first punch landed.

\-----------------------

Natasha was counting the minutes in her mind as she evaded Bucky's shots and slipped in between the vehicles. The fight was still picking up only half the pace she knew it would reach in some time. People were still not throwing their worst hits. 

This was warm up. This was the prelude to the actual war.

She jumped off the van and neatly landed on the ground behind Steve, noting that Tony was standing in front of him, with his faceplate down and gauntlet up. She knew what would happen now. Tony had informed her of his secret weapon. She was just counting the seconds when she saw Tony harshly stop Steve and utter the secret code.

"I've lost my patience now," Tony said with a pinched look before cupping his gauntlets dramatically, "Underoos!"

Even though she knew who would drop in, she was still a little jarred when the shield was pulled up from Steve's hands by a long web and the Captain's hands got tied up in another spurt of the spider's web.

Spiderman did an air-flip before landing gracefully on one knee on top of the nearby van, Cap's shield in hand.

"Hey, everybody" the young superhero said and zoomed in his 'eyes'.

This was it, Natasha knew, this was the moment she had been waiting for. She saw Steve begin to threaten Tony and Tony snark back an ultimatum. She took a peek around her and stealthily placed a finger behind her ear and activated a comm.

"Now," she said quietly and saw Clint's eye catching hers, a hand tightening on his bow, a tell-tale before he would raise it and shoot.

He didn't get a chance though as the first thunder roll rumbled and the skies darkened. She saw the heroes on the ground pause, most of them looking up with frowns. Only the Black Panther had stilled completely.

"Good training, Storm," she thought with a vicious smile, seconds before a flash of light appeared and the suit flew down.

The Rescue suit landed right between both sides, in between Tony and Steve. The faceplate came up and Natasha smirked when she saw Tony's face freeze.

"Hello, boys," Pepper smiled coldly, "I'm so glad you could all come here for this. Let's have a chat, shall we?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to finish this by today. I'm just pumped up way beyond control. I LOVE BAMF WOMEN!

Tony had seconds to react before he saw Barnes come out from behind Natasha and raise his gun at her. He immediately raised his own gauntlet to fire at him but he didn't have to. Before Natasha could turn back or Tony could fire, Bucky dropped his gun and fell onto the floor, shaking like he had been electrocuted.

"Why are all the freaky ones so handsome?" Darcy Lewis asked with a small pout as she stepped out from behind the van Barnes had sneaked out from, "It's like all my fantasies start with me tasing people."

"Thanks Lewis," Natasha quipped with the barest of smirks on her face as Darcy shrugged, stepping over Bucky's unconscious body to come forward and stand beside Natasha.

"Sorry, Pepper. Just a minor tasing issue. Continue please," Darcy gestured at the taller redhead who was still standing between a shell-shocked Tony Stark and a gaping Steve Rogers.

"Yes, thank you Darcy," Pepper cleared her throat before considering Tony with a raised eyebrow, "What's wrong, Tony? You don't look happy to see me."

"What-what are you doing here, Pep?" Tony whispered furiously, his eyes darting between Steve and Pepper, "Is this some new trick of theirs, because I swear if they're forcing you -"

"Tony," Pepper stopped him mid-rant with an eye-roll, "the day one of you force me to do something violent would be the day I dig your grave. And you know that Steve wouldn't do that with me. Really, the things you imagine."

"Pepper, what's going on?" Rhodey asked from behind Tony, flipping his own faceplate up and staring at her with a worried frown, "Why're you here?"

"To do what you guys are doing, of course," a voice said from above them and Rhodey looked up to see a woman fly down and land next to Pepper, dusting her costume before grinning at him, "Hey, Rhodes. Nice tin can."

"Carol?" Rhodey called out in confusion, eyes stuck on the woman coolly regarding the superheroes around her.

"Yep," she replied, popping the p as she swept her eyes over the other team too, distractedly continuing, "Though on field I'm Captain Marvel. Gets a better reception, sounds cooler, catches the attention of people. You know, the whole superhero image maintenance. Hey, kid, that's not your shield is it?"

The last question was directed at Spiderman who was staring at the new entrants on the scene, clutching Steve's shield. He jerked back at the acknowledgement from the new woman. He looked down at the shield in hand and looked back up at her before shaking his head.

"Huh," Carol mused thoughtfully, cocking her head at the teenager, "Didn't you ever learn at school that you shouldn't steal things from others?"

"This is a war," Peter spoke up, trying to maintain his image in front of all these older heroes, "Everything's fair in war."

"Yeah, buddy? Not a good rule to live by," Darcy piped up from beside Natasha with a shrug, "Trust me, I've seen confused gods fight and that rule has done nothing good for even those guys. It's all a myth, seriously."

"Spiderman, you really don't want to get involved with this, believe me," Natasha confirmed quietly, staring at the masked guy firmly, "These guys have screwed up already. Don't get into their mess and ruin yourself too."

"Romanoff, back off," Tony warned lightly, eyes trained on the Russian ex-spy, "He's on our side, if you hadn't noticed."

"And what side would that be?" another voice came from above and the sky darkened ever more before a white-haired woman landed beside Peter, turning towards him and smiling while staring with her white eyes, "Hello, young man. Do you mind me taking that from you?"

Peter was officially freaked out and didn't have the reaction time he would usually have, as Ororo picked the shield out of his hands and threw it to her side without looking. It stopped when Sharon caught it, coming out from behind a van and nodding her thanks to Ororo.

"Sharon?" Steve confirmed in a shaky voice with a frown, trying to get the web trap off his hands, "What is going on here? Sam! Get this off me!"

Sam plucked a knife from his shoe and cut off the web from Steve's hands, staring warily at all these new women who had begun to spring from nowhere. He was still terrified by the woman with white eyes and white hair because it looked like she was controlling the weather.

"Sorry, Cap," Sharon said with a small smile on her lips before walking towards Pepper, "It was either now or never. It isn't like you guys needed my help any longer anyway."

"Thank you, Sharon," Pepper nodded at the agent before facing Tony again, "So, Tony, as I was asking, you don't look happy to see me. Upset that I messed with your little fight club?"

"Pep, I don't know what you're doing, but this is not the time or place," Tony replied with a grim look, "You shouldn't be here."

"I know," Pepper shot back with a tight smile, "I should have been in Japan, finishing my important meeting to do some productive work that would not result in anybody dying or the world ending. Funny isn't it? How that didn't happen because you guys are busy terrorizing everyone with your temper tantrums?"

"Looks like your own side doesn't support you, Stark," Clint commented snidely, smirking at Tony only to meet Natasha's eyes that were smirking at him before gesturing to look behind him.

"Looks like you too don't have all that much of a support either, Barton," a masculine voice spoke up as Clint saw Phil Coulson step forward from behind a parked car at some distance, "What do you say, Mrs. Barton?"

Clint froze when Laura, his wife, stepped out from behind Phil and smiled at him with a small wave.

"I don't think it matters what we say, Phil," Laura replied casually, raising an eyebrow at Clint's ticking jaw, "Disruptive kids don't listen till they've created a mess. I speak from experience, really."

"I think we all agree with that," Sharon chimed in, cutting a hard look at Steve, "Especially when they don't get their way."

"Add to that a dash of ego problems, PTSD, past issues, God-complex and war-addiction to get the perfect recipe for the quintessential megalomaniac," Darcy snorted with a flourish of her hand, "Hey, is anybody going to take care of the unconscious hunk before he wakes up and pulls the trigger?"

"I've got it," another woman spoke up, coming from behind Bucky with a complex looking vice in hand, "I always get the unconscious guys, Coulson. Next time, it's your turn."

"Sorry, Melinda," Phil smiled at the agent who simply snorted and fit the vice around Bucky's wrists after holding them behind his back.

"Stop that," Steve warned, his entire body at the ready to spring forward and protect Bucky, "Coulson, don't make me go against you too."

"Oh, I think you've already gone against me, Captain," Phil spoke up calmly, "Not just you, all of you. Every single person here is already against me. Against all of us who've come here. But don't worry, I'm not going to hurt Sergeant Barnes. We're just keeping him away from this stressful atmosphere. War isn't really the best idea for a PTSD burdened, mind-controlled man who stands to hurt himself at the slightest trigger. What he needs is to stay in a place that is far away from people who are ready to tear each other apart at the slightest disagreement."

"Something I'm sure you would have understood, Sam?" Carol spoke up, glaring at the Falcon, "You know, being a counselor yourself? I'm surprised you didn't explain this to the good Cap here. Or did you do it and get that suggestion brushed off?"

"We're trying to protect him, Carol," Sam told his old friend with a tight voice, though he didn't meet Steve's eyes, "He is at risk anywhere else."

"Really? And you know this because you approached the right authorities and tried to get him help?" Sharon raised an eyebrow and eyed Sam skeptically.

"He wouldn't have gotten that much of a help even if they tried with authorities, with people hell-bent on putting him behind bars at the first chance, would he Tony?" Natasha countered, glaring at Tony from across, "Because of course we're experts at mind-control and can predict the future. Or know the past and can be sure that someone who had been manipulated by Hydra for seven decades will never be a good person. Would he, Tony?"

"You know why he won't be accepted, Romanoff," Tony shot back, "You know what he could do. What he is capable of and what he has done. The governments won't let the past go unnoticed. He's been an assassin for seventy years. You think people are going to lay down the red carpet for him? Especially if he doesn't even come in front of the government and keeps running away, escaping any trial or questioning?"

"He was manipulated, Stark," Wanda spat furiously, her fingers sparking red, "His brain was robbed of it's independence and filled with orders to do things he would have never done. He was violated. Do you even understand that?"

"Do you?" Rhodey sprang to Tony's defense, staring Wanda down, "See, I'm confused, because aren't  **your** powers manipulation too? You denied your hand in Sokovia's disaster earlier, didn't you? Well, tell me something, kid. How exactly did the whole thing start at the Hydra facility? Who exactly got into the minds of all the Avengers and tried to get them to destroy a populated area? Using fucking Hulk? Who exactly helped Ultron get Vibranium from a shady ass clown in Wakanda? And you guys say that you have the best hands to save the world. Really, now?"

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Pepper broke in suddenly with a grin and everybody stopped glaring at each other to stare at her, "See this? This is exactly what you need. Talking. Saying things as you see them. Getting it all out. Instead, you've all been harboring your problems and letting them bleed into an issue that came into existence because of wars. The Accords were brought out to stop war and loss, weren't they? Look at you all here! You're doing exactly what you were accused of! Mindless destruction and egotistical warfare!"

"Pepper, we've had this discussion endless times in the past," Steve explained, suddenly looking tired more than angry, "and as I have told Tony and the government multiple times, you cannot substitute freedom with slavery and call it regulation. This whole thing is pointing south and we can't have that."

"No, Captain," Ororo spoke up calmly, her eyes sliding to T'Challa, "you have not discussed anything. A discussion involves active listening and an attempt to comprehend the other side's points too. Neither side here has done that."

"Which is why we've decided that you're gonna do it, right here and right now," Carol added, crossing her arms and considering Tony with a hard look, "Or else we'll be deciding things for you."

"Are you threatening us, Danvers?" Tony asked lightly, his eyes glinting, "Because that's not going to go down well."

"Oh no, Tony, we are not the ones threatening you," Darcy chimed in with a smirk, "We've got somebody else here who's gonna be doing that."

"But before that, Spiderman, we've got someone on call for you," Sharon said, holding out a phone to the teenager who stared at her before picking it out of her hand gingerly.

"Hello?"

"Peter?" May Parker asked cautiously before sounding annoyed, "Peter Parker, what do you think you're doing, running off from home and missing school like this? I just got a call from your Principal and she told me that you've been doing that a lot lately. You come back home, right now young man. And I better not hear you've been in some incriminating issue with all these bunking periods! Do you understand, Peter?"

"Aunt May!" Peter squeaked before clearing his throat and staring nervously at the women who were smirking at him evilly, "Where did you get this number?"

"This number?" May repeated in confusion before reprimanding again, "Peter, your teacher, Ms.Sharon was the one who called and said she has caught you red-handed running off to some mall. I got a message from another teacher of yours, Ms. Rushman, that you have been picking fights with your seniors. Now, I don't know what all this is about but I need you to come home and explain things to me. Whatever it is, we'll sort things out together, You hear me, honey?"

"Yes, Aunt May, I'll be there soon. Sorry," he apologized with a dazed look at Sharon, "erm, for bunking classes. I'll talk to you when I'm home. Bye."

He saw Sharon mouth "Ms.Sharon" pointing to herself and "Ms.Rushman" pointing at Natasha who simply waved with a raised eyebrow. Finally, he cut the call and threw the phone back to Sharon.

"Sorry kid, the adult babies need to sort out their issues now," Natasha shrugged with an unapologetic look, "which means that you need to get away and go do your thing back home. Where you belong."

"Yeah, sorry about ratting on you, man," Darcy agreed with a sympathetic look, "but we really need your pew-pew out of here now. Pronto. It was good meeting you though."

Peter stared at the women who were all grinning at him and felt a shudder go through his spine. He turned to see Tony and shook his head.

"Sorry man, but you're all crazy," he said before shooting a web to a nearby building and swinging across yelling, "ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR FUNERAL THOUGH! WE COULD HAVE BEEN COOL SCIENCE BUDDIES SOMEDAY!"

Scott, who had been silent all through the while, began laughing hysterically before removing his helmet.

"Something funny?" Carol asked with a frown and the Ant-Man shook his head as he gasped for breath.

"No-not funny, just crazy," he wheezed through laughter, "Here I thought we were going to fight for something big and then you guys come in hijacking our war. Nothing funny, just madness. You know what, you guys say what you've come to say. It's obvious that you're not going to let us fight and that you hold manipulative material over us. We could just very well give up and listen now."

"Thank you Mr.Lang, an excellent decision," Phil agreed before looking at the others, "Anyone else want to be easy too?"

When nobody else budged, Phil shrugged and looked at Darcy who sighed and blew a whistle hanging around her neck. Steve didn't have to wait long enough to find out what they were doing because no sooner did the shrill noise die down did the first roll of thunder fill the sky.

"That's not your doing, is it Storm?" T'Challa spoke up for the first time and Ororo looked at him with a soft grin before shaking her head in the negative.

They didn't have to guess to know who it was. There was a bright flash of lightening that struck the ground beside them all and when it disappeared, there stood a tall, blond, pissed looking Asgardian prince.

"And that's the threatening part we told you about," Darcy announced with a gesture towards Thor, who was glaring furiously at both Steve and Tony.

"My friends, what is this I am hearing about?" Thor boomed angrily, Mjolnir twirling in a threatening fashion in his hand, "I believed us to be a team of protectors for Midgardians and here I witness all of you courting war? Stark, Captain, have you not learnt from the mistakes of mine and Loki's? Or your own from the past? This is extremely displeasing and unworthy of you. All of you!"

He turned to look at Rhodey and Clint, frowning hard.

"My warrior friends, do you not know the effect of war enough?" he asked sharply, glaring at each person, "We at Asgard felt the misery when I and Loki deemed to resolve our conflicts through weapons rather than words. My father himself told me about his regret at courting war through the years. And you all are family! Friends! Your fight will not only ruin you but also the world around you. Is that what you wish for, my brothers?"

"Thor, buddy, you don't know half of it," Tony snapped, clearly at the end of his patience, "And you don't understand our rules."

"So, how about you hear it from someone who  **does** understand them?" Pepper asked quietly as they saw a car drive in from the other end of the parking lot. The car stopped in front of Sharon and they saw Jane step out from the driver's seat. Sharon walked up to the passenger door and opened it to reveal another person sitting.

Tony felt his brain short-circuit and heard a gasp from Steve that made it clear that the Captain was also completely stunned.

"Thank you, darling," Peggy told Sharon as the younger woman brought her down the car and rolled the wheelchair in between the two sides where Peggy met Steve's eyes, "Hello, Steve."

"Peggy?" Steve whispered in disbelief, taking a step forward and darting his eyes nervously at the others like he was expecting an attack, "What are you doing here? You should be at the nursing home!"

"And that's the first thing I agree with from Cap," Tony said looking incredulously at the old woman sitting on the wheelchair, "Aunt Peggy, you should really not be here. You should be back at the home! I mean it."

"You know, you two are not the first gentlemen to tell me what to do and what not to do," Peggy began in a fake-sweet voice, raising an eyebrow at both men, "and you two are not the first men I'm ignoring. Yes, I should be back at the nursing home, resting after years of having handled dumb chauvinists and arrogant power-maniacs. I should, but I can't, because it looks like my work is never done. Now, gentlemen, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Take your pick."

When none of them moved, she sighed and gestured at Sharon, who wheeled her across to Steve first.

"Fine, take the hard way then," she said before facing Steve with a hard glint in her brown eyes, "Steve Rogers. Captain America. The savior of us all. I might not remember it now but I am sure that you met me before this and I told you something on the lines of how you should continue following the right path. Am I correct?"

Steve didn't reply but simply nodded and Peggy nodded once curtly too.

"Good. Well I'm here to tell you now that you screwed up," she said sharply, ignoring the way he flinched at her words, "I'm going to forget this moment in another few minutes so I want you to remember what I say now, Steve. You are a good man, a righteous man and a light of hope for many. But Steve, you are not capable of regulating yourself right now. Sharon told me all about Sergeant Barnes. Steve, I love you, but when it comes to knowing your limits at being stubborn, you are miserable. You do not have the first clue of what that man has been through or what he has been made to do. You also do not know the pain and suffering of all those families who have lost someone to the Winter Soldier. You cannot take the decision to pardon him for them. It is not your right. It is not your place. You did not see any assassination he has done in these years. You are seeing James Barnes, your friend, instead of the man he was for all these decades. That is a noble thought, a loyal thought of a friend. But who gave you the right to take away the chance at justice from the people he has had a hand at killing? Who made you God, Steve? Who gave you the power to be a judge? The law has been laid so that every citizen of this country and every citizen of every country gets an opportunity to demand justice. Against anyone who has wronged them. Who gave you the authority to overrule that, Steve Rogers? Is this how you would have reacted if Thor Odinson had tried to hide his brother after he murdered people of New York? Would you have let him go just because he was Thor's brother?"

Steve looked pale and broken by the time Peggy had completed her words. It seemed that everybody else was equally stunned because nobody spoke a word, from either side.

"I probably have a couple of minutes more before I reset, so let me tell you about your stand on this Accords mess too," Peggy continued relentlessly, "Nobody, and I mean nobody, with limitless power and a background of profound glory, can be self-regulated all the time. Not if they are human. You are human, aren't you Steve? The serum enhanced your body and your mind, but not your inherent nature. You have emotions and experience pain just like the rest. You survive through disaster just like the rest. You go through trauma just like the rest. The only difference is that when somebody else with trauma or pain makes a mistake, it might result in something minor. When you commit the same mistake, it results in an international catastrophe. I read some journal entries before I spoke, so I remember this. Correct me if I'm wrong, Steve, but didn't Dr. Erskine tell you to be a good person and not a perfect soldier? A good person doesn't object to have a guideline if it makes people weaker than him feel safe, does he Steve? A good person doesn't gloat on complete control and try to play away his mistakes as minor errors but tries and adopts measures that would help him be safe to the people around him. That is why we have a society. That is why we follow rules. Don't we, Steve? You have good hands to save the world, but how can you guarantee every person in this world that you will not cause collateral damage when you try to save somebody? The people who die as collateral are people too, aren't they? You can argue saying that you were simply trying to save the bigger picture but does that discount life? Does that lessen their fear of you or their grief of losing their family? Regulation is not slavery, Steve. It is moderation. It is a boundary. With a boundless power, it is necessary to have boundaries to assure the public, the people who aren't as powerful as you, that you aren't going to harm them intentionally. People crave for security, Steve. Regulation of superior humans and their powers gives people who do not have your privilege that security. Are you telling me that the Steve Rogers I know is not understanding enough to give that a chance? I-I-Steve? You're alive!"

Steve blinked through unshed tears when he saw Peggy reset her memories. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move from his spot. his hands were shaking and he felt like he was going to collapse in a few minutes. He felt Sam move in closer and lay a hand on his shoulder, silently providing support. He could see Sharon whisper into Peggy's ear and handing her a notepad with paragraphs written on them. He watched as Sharon wheeled Peggy away from him, taking him towards Tony instead. Tony, who looked pale and grim himself.

Peggy's words were ringing like explosions in Steve's head. This was Peggy Carter. His Peggy. The woman he had held in the highest esteem since the first time he met her. He felt like she had slapped him hard and kicked him in the balls. He could hear his ears ringing but pushed back his shock and hurt to focus on what she was going to tell to Tony.

Tony stared nervously at the approaching woman. Peggy Carter was as important to him as Jarvis had been. She was his Aunt Peggy. The woman he had grown up under. The woman who had first introduced him to the real heroic stories of Captain America. The woman who had seen his first circuit board when Howard had been too busy trying to work on some missile. She was the reason he stuck by SHIELD, even though he would never admit it out loud. And she was busy reading something that was clearly making her angry.

He didn't know why but he suddenly felt like he was back to being a kid.

When finally she finished reading whatever Sharon had given her, he saw her draw in a shaky breath and focus her fiery eyes on him. It took her a moment to focus but when she did, he could see the simmering anger clearly.

"Anthony Edward Stark," she began softly, her words tough as steel despite the velvet texture of her tone, "the son of Howard Stark. The boy I had once told that he was different from his father. That he was better. That he was more human. What happened to you, Anthony?"

Tony was about to cut in and answer some ramble when Pepper shot him a look that told him to shut up.

"Whatever happened, it broke you," she continued, sighing and closing her eyes, "Anthony, it looks like you just signed up with the government to capture and hold under threat your friends and teammates. It looks like you attempted to create a prison for them and force them to accept your rules. It seems like, Anthony, you decided to be king and tried to conquer your own family with threats. The child I knew would never do that because he knew what it was like to live under tyranny. The man you grew up to be would never do that because you understand the worth of freedom. You survived the worst and emerged stronger every time, according to what I have written here. You became a hero after you were kicked down. You saved people when you were under threat yourself. You destroyed your own company when you saw what it was doing to millions of families. You changed from a businessman to a protector. What made you go back to being a businessman now, Anthony?"

"I'm just trying to do what's right Aunt Peggy," Tony muttered hoarsely, pushing back the tears threatening to well up at her exhausted look, "I'm trying to protect even now."

"Protect whom, darling?" Peggy countered softly, remembering the kid she had babysat all those years ago, "Protect from whom? Who is giving the protection here, Anthony? The government? Darling, didn't you learn early that politics and heroism mix like oil and water? From what I know about this Sokovia disaster that happened, it looks like a robot you built went rogue and threatened to kill humanity. And then you built another robot to stop that one. Anthony, you were wrong to build the first robot. That is true and a fact that will not change, no matter how many times you try to cover it up by ensuring you don't repeat the mistake. You screwed up, darling. And you know that, I can see that you know that. But you also built the second robot. You brought out a solution to the problem. You cannot be excused completely for your mistake but, darling, you also get the credit for building the solution. The same thing goes with your friends too. No regulation, no amount of stringent control will ensure complete lack of errors, Anthony. This is a world of humans. You are all human. Humans make mistakes. We destroy things. We screw up. But that doesn't mean that we are not capable of building. It does not mean that we do not have good in us or have the compassion and courage to protect people. The world may exist on science and data, dear, but it runs on emotions and instincts. Everybody needs regulation. But forcing people to surrender to powers that do not know the entire truth? Compelling superheroes to let governments of power-hungry men decide their fate and worth? Bending the free will of your friends just because you are scared of what happened in the past and worry for the future? That isn't protection, darling. That is tyranny. Dictatorship. The very thing this country is proud to have defeated. Your thoughts about the need for regulation are admirable because it shows that you know your responsibility. But giving up total control over your life to someone who has no idea what it takes to save a life? Letting people who have never stepped into a battlefield decide who should save whom and how many to avoid any damage? Making people who cannot possibly understand the stress or needs of being a protector restrain you from taking the right decision according to your instinct developed from experience? Darling, that is suicide. What you are asking your friends to do is suicide, Anthony. The first available option is not always the best option, dear. The Accords are the first opportunity you have to 'set things right' and protect the future. That does not make them the best opportunity. What is the hurry here, Anthony? Why the haste? How will you secure the future if you destroy the present? Do you really think that if Steve's side loses this war and is forced to sign your Accords, they will ever be able to trust you again? What is a team of superheroes without trust, Anthony?"

Peggy took a deep breath and paused her rant, composing herself before continuing softly.

"You are following the same footsteps of the monster you regret creating, Anthony," she said with a sad smile, reaching out a weak hand that Tony caught immediately, "You are turning into the Ultron robot you created. He wanted to save the world by ridding it of humans because he generalized us. You want to save the world by ridding yourself of your free-will because you generalize loss. You are not a monster, darling. Don't become one just out of fear for the past or the future. You live in the present. You live with the people in the present, people you know are good. Don't throw them away today in fear of tomorrow."

Tony had no qualms about the lone tear that slipped out and was far too stricken with terror and heartbreak to bother about it. Behind him, Rhodey took in a shuddering breath, taking a decision and unlocking his armor to come forward and stand beside Tony in silent support.

"I won't remember this in a minute, Ducky," Peggy smiled softly and Tony huffed a watery chuckle at the old nickname, "but I want you to remember this. People deserve forgiveness. They deserve second chances. We deserve friends who will stand by us when we fall weak. We deserve compassion and trust and honesty. But above all, the most important thing we deserve? That is the freedom to live with dignity. Nobody deserves to be a slave to another man, Anthony. And nobody has the right to take that away from another human being. No matter how powerful you are or how worthy you feel. Tyranny and suffocating holds breed hatred alone. I love you, Ducky. And I want you to love yourself enough too, to let yourself come out of this self-imposed punishment you are designing. There is always an option waiting to be found. You simply have to look for it, no matter how long or how hard you have to try."

"Aunt Peggy..." Tony breathed on a broken whisper but saw the moment her eyes glazed over and she lost focus, coming back with a surprised and wide smile.

"Anthony? Darling, how are you?" Peggy exclaimed with joy and Tony felt Rhodey bump his shoulder into Tony's armor in a gesture of comfort.

"Come on, Auntie, time for you to take some rest now," Sharon whispered into Peggy ear, blinking back her own tears and wheeling away the woman who had managed to shock all the superheroes standing in the lot.

"I'm not fighting," Sam spoke up after a few minutes of silence and everybody turned to look at him in surprise, "I'm not, really. She's right. All these ladies are right. We managed to turn a simple issue into something bigger than us. We aren't fighting for the people here. We're fighting for our own pride and selfish reasons. You guys think you know better, then sure, go ahead. I admit that I don't. I don't know better than you all. I'm not an expert. I am not an authority to decide what others must do. I am not capable enough to do that to somebody who is probably just as guilty or good as me. So, no, sorry Cap. I can't fight anymore. I'm not going to be part of this madness anymore."

"Neither am I," Natasha agreed, smiling at Sam when he looked at her, "I joined the Accords because I wanted to be responsible for my actions. I don't want to be responsible for a war. Not one that I create out of pointless bitterness. I have enough red on my ledger to clean. I don't want the blood of my friends to add onto that. Sorry, Tony, I'm out too."

"I don't seem to have a reason to fight either," Clint shrugged, smirking at Natasha when she raised an eyebrow, "This whole thing was stupid from the start anyway. I've got better things to do with my family than kill you assholes. I'm done too."

"Thank God," Laura grinned and winked when Clint smiled at her before walking over to hug her.

"I can't work under the government," Wanda maintained, her voice shaking but her face set, "I can't become somebody's puppet again."

"Then you don't have to be, kid," Carol spoke up softly before Clint could, "You're your own person. You have your own thoughts and freedom. All you need to do is find a way to ensure the millions of people who don't have your powers that you would use your strength to protect them and not hurt them. You just need to make sure that you don't lose control over the gift you have. Think you can manage to work with us to do that?"

Wanda looked uncertain and turned to look at Clint who stared for a minute before nodding.

"I will help in protecting the people," Wanda spoke, meeting Pepper's eyes, "And will try to make them feel safe like I would have liked to be before...before I got my powers."

"That is all we can ask of you, Ms. Maximoff," Pepper replied with a kind smile and Wanda looked surprised before relaxing with a nod of her own.

"I would rather use my powers to protect humanity than destroy my friends, I believe," Vision declared calmly, looking at Thor who looked pleased at that, "I will persevere to find a way to help people see the good in humanity and heroes, if possible."

Ororo looked at T'Challa who was simply staring ahead and sighed before getting down from her location and walking over to him. When she reached him, she patted his face and told him to remove his mask. The Wakanda king didn't comply at first but when she repeated it again with the same love in her eyes, he sighed and did it.

"I won't leave without getting justice for our people, Ororo," he said solemnly, staring at his fiancee, "The Accords and the Winter Soldier are important to me. I will not be swayed by this."

"You are right, T'Challa," Ororo replied, tilting her head and looking at him calmly, "Wakanda needs protection and the Winter Soldier has wrought pain to your kingdom in the past. But tell me this, my love, do you have unmistakable proof of the most recent incident being his doing? The UN bombing, do you have proof of him being the culprit. Consciously, without being under the influence of maniacs who derive pleasure from snatching the freedom of innocent people? Do you know for certain that it was Bucky Barnes who committed the crime you want vengeance for? Because the man you are trying to hunt right now, is a man trying to escape the prison of the Winter Soldier. James Barnes is trying to come out of the trap Hydra laid on him with the name Winter Soldier. This is a man who is going to suffer the horrors of his past till the day he dies. That is his misfortune and woe. That is his destiny. He cannot forget the terror he wrought as the Winter Soldier, T'Challa. He is condemned to a life of self-doubt and fear. Do you wish to punish a man who has already been destined for a lifetime of punishment for a wrong he didn't commit?"

T'Challa faltered and looked unsure.

"You are a man born to a great culture, my love," Ororo continued, pressing her advantage, "You come from a tradition that honors a man's dignity and freedom. You were born into a great responsibility of safeguarding your people. The blessings of your ancestors protects your wisdom and gives you clarity. But it is your heart that gives you compassion and kindness. Your heart is your own, T'Challa. It does not misguide, no matter how wrong it seems to the world. Compassion and forgiveness are boons given by the gods to us so that we live as men and women and not savages. A man's misfortune is not an opportunity for another to take advantage of, is it my King?"

T'Challa stared at the woman he loved and felt the steel in his heart bend. He sighed and bent his head, touching her forehead with his own.

"I do not forgive him, but I will not deprive him of a chance to live as a man he could choose to be," he accepted before adding, "I will not hunt down James Barnes as long as the Winter Soldier does not appear again. That is my promise."

"And I promise that you will get a chance to get your answers when he is back to being normal," Steve spoke up finally, nodding in a promise at T'Challa, "You deserve answers, you'll get them. I'll make sure of that, but after we get Bucky back from the control of the Winter Soldier. Thank you for your promise, T'Challa. I won't take it lightly."

The Black Panther nodded in agreement before smiling at Ororo who looked proud of him.

"Tony?" Pepper asked softly, noting that everybody else had spoken except for him. She saw Tony stare at the floor, not moving or looking at anyone else as everybody spoke their pieces. He was still as a statue, the only movement being the breathing that was visible even through the armor.

"Tones, what do you say man?" Rhodey asked, finally putting a hand on Tony's shoulder and tilting his head down to look at him, "Is this really worth fighting for? You know I support you, Tony, but do you still think that things can't be changed?"

Tony didn't reply and simply took a deep and shuddering breath. Finally looking up he stared straight at Steve and began walking towards him, letting Rhodey's hand slide off his shoulder. Steve didn't move an inch as Tony came closer, keeping his eyes trained on Tony's calmly. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. The whole area had gone silent during the few steps Tony had crossed.

When he was finally standing in front of Steve, almost toe to toe with the man, Tony released his armor. The red and gold slipped away and Tony stood in his black undersuit.

"I won't give up trying to find a way to ensure that Sokovia never happens again," Tony spoke finally, his voice low and serious, "I can't ignore it. I can't risk it again. I need regulation. We all need regulation. It is necessary for us."

Steve didn't interrupt him, knowing that Tony wasn't done yet. Somehow, this time he knew that Tony wasn't going to force him into doing anything.

"It is necessary but it doesn't have to be the Accords we have right now," Tony said finally, squaring his jaw and letting a ghost of a smirk appear on his face, "It doesn't have to be my way. It doesn't have to be the one you are violently opposed to. If you think you can find another way, then I'm willing to meet you half-way. We need regulation, Cap, but maybe we could make it in a way that you don't have to lose your freedom too. Think you can find a solution for that, Captain?"

Steve stared at Tony for an entire minute. He could hear the olive branch in the challenge. He could hear the second chance.

He would be damned if he didn't grab it with both hands.

"I wasn't a tactician for nothing all these years, was I Iron Man?" Steve smirked back softly, "I'll accept that challenge. As long as you accept mine. You're a genius, aren't you? Think you can come up with a way to crack Zola's hold on Bucky? I think it has something to do with that arm of yours. Is Tony Stark willing to have a shot at defeating Dr. Arnim Zola at his game?"

Tony's grin was blinding to Steve even though it was probably the weakest the genius had come up with in years. It was still a genuine smile. A genuine part of the friend he had almost lost.

"Challenge accepted, mon capitan," Tony replied before extending a hand at the same moment that Steve did.

As Pepper watched Tony and Steve shake hands, she felt all the stress leave her body in a rush and quickly came out of her Rescue suit, walking over in long strides before wrapping Tony in a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered into his hair and felt him smile into her own.

"Anytime, Pep, you know it," he whispered back and Pepper chuckled weakly before leaning back and looking at Steve. She extracted herself from Tony's arms and pressed a kiss to the Captain's cheek.

"Welcome back, Steve," she whispered to him and saw the man grin before nodding his thanks.

"Hey, now what about the morons in the government?" Darcy asked as she remembered that there were still dumbheads to straighten, "Who's gonna handle them?"

Tony looked at Steve and everybody saw them communicate silently, something they hadn't done ever since this whole thing had started.

"We will," Tony said finally with a devious smirk.

"Together," Steve agreed, answering Tony's smirk with his own small grin.

"This demands celebration!" Thor boomed and Jane elbowed him in the ribs, "What is it Jane?"

"Ruining the moment, Thor," Jane muttered furiously, "Remember what I told you about romantic movies and the end? You wait till after they kiss!"

Clint was the first to burst out laughing and soon everybody joined in, leaving them all in a mass of hysterically guffawing superheroes. 

As Sharon met Pepper's eyes in midst of all the laughter, she mouthed a grateful "Thank you" with a smile.

Pepper simply nodded and let herself enjoy the moment of peace.

She was certain that everybody had earned it. In that moment she felt like they ruled their own world.

And it felt like freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo? How was it? Too much? Too little? Too vague? I really don't know. I just wanted them to stop fighting and found it easier to do it in fanfiction :P  
> Please review and give me your feedback? <3


End file.
